FIND YOUR FIGHTER.
A labor attorney can make the difference between a stalled drive and a signed contract. These firms specialize in union organizing and worker rights.
UnionCraft does not endorse or receive compensation from any of the attorneys listed. This is an educational resource only. Always do your own due diligence. This is NOT legal advice.
Consultations are confidential (and legally privileged). Your employer won't be told. They're usually free, too. Ask when you call. Questions to your NLRB regional office are confidential too. Filing a formal ULP charge is the step your employer learns about, and a lawyer helps you decide when.
FREE RESOURCES FIRST
Before hiring anyone, try these free options.
EWOC (Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee)
Free coaching and support for workers organizing without an affiliated union.
Your regional NLRB office
Free guidance on your rights and the petition process. Not advocates, but can explain the process.
CWA, UAW, SEIU organizing departments
Established unions with organizing staff who can advise and potentially affiliate your drive.
NLG Labor & Employment Committee
National network of worker-side labor lawyers. Local NLG chapters can refer you to movement attorneys.
READY TO REACH OUT? COPY-PASTE THIS.
Don't overthink the first email. Firms read hundreds of these. Short and specific gets you a callback.
The firms on this page are labor counsel. If your immigration status is tied to your job, pair one with an immigration attorney before you go public. A place to start: AILA's Immigration Lawyer Search (the "Find an immigration lawyer" directory at aila.org / ailalawyer.com) and the National Immigrant Justice Center (immigrantjustice.org). Same rule as everywhere else here: we don't endorse anyone, and you should do your own due diligence.
The firms above are union-side organizing counsel. If your problem is an unpaid invoice (Freelance Isn't Free), misclassification, or a contract that needs review, that's a different specialty. Start with your state labor agency (in New York, the DOL and Attorney General handle Freelance Isn't Free claims) or a plaintiff-side employment or wage-and-hour attorney. The freelancers page walks through your options in detail.
One thing to know before you dial: many union-side firms primarily represent unions, not individual workers. If you're a lone worker mid-retaliation, say so up front and ask for a referral if they can't take you. Many will take retaliation cases on contingency: no fee unless you win. Remember: filing the ULP charge itself is free and doesn't require a lawyer.
NATIONAL
Weinberg, Roger & Rosenfeld
Specializes in union campaigns, labor law, employment litigation. Bay Area + national.
Cohen, Weiss and Simon LLP
NYC-based, exclusively represents unions and workers. National cases.
Bredhoff & Kaiser PLLC
Washington DC. One of the top union-side labor firms in the country.
Altshuler Berzon LLP
San Francisco. Progressive labor + employment law, national.
NORTHEAST
Levy Ratner P.C.
NYC. Exclusively union-side. Major campaigns.
Gladstein, Reif & Meginniss
New York. Union-side labor, employment, and civil rights. Represents workers and unions only, never employers.
Pitta LLP
NYC. Represents labor unions across New York and New Jersey.
Segal Roitman LLP
Boston. New England's oldest and largest firm exclusively representing unions and workers.
Feinstein Doyle Payne & Kravec, LLC
Pittsburgh + national. Union-side labor law.
MIDWEST
Jacobs, Burns, Orlove & Hernandez
Chicago. Union-side labor law.
McKnight, Canzano, Smith, Brault & King
Michigan/Detroit. Union-side labor and employment.
Previant Law Firm S.C.
Milwaukee. Labor + employment.
WEST COAST
Siegel & Yee
Oakland CA. Worker and union-side exclusively.
Leonard Carder LLP
Bay Area. Union organizing, labor law.
Barnard Iglitzin & Lavitt LLP
Seattle. Union-side labor law.
Bennett Hartman LLP
Portland OR. Labor law and union representation across Oregon and Washington since 1906.
Rothner, Segall & Greenstone
Pasadena, CA. Premier Southern California union-side labor firm. Essential for LA ad industry.
SOUTH & SOUTHEAST
Deats, Durst & Owen PLLC
Austin. The only union-side labor firm in Austin, representing unions and workers across Texas.
Quinn, Connor, Weaver, Davies & Rouco LLP
Atlanta + Birmingham. Union-side firm with 30+ years representing unions, union members, and workers across the Southeast.
NLRB Region 10, Atlanta
The NLRB regional office covering Georgia and much of the Southeast: elections, ULP charges, and free process guidance. (404) 331-2896.
Communications Workers of America (CWA)
Contact CWA or EWOC for referrals in these states.
Workers' Dignity
Nashville, TN. Worker center (not a law firm) with a legal referral network in right-to-work states.
Southern Workers Assembly
Regional network (not a law firm) with organizer referrals across the South.
MOUNTAIN WEST
Perera & Fedele
Denver, CO. Traditional union-side labor firm, founded 1967.